


Below Decks

by Linorien



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: Fanon Alec Trevelyan, Q's Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 22:32:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13374441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linorien/pseuds/Linorien
Summary: Part of the Q's Revenge challenge.Prompt: IS THAT GOD AWFUL NOISE HIM LAUGHING BECAUSE IF IT IS I AM REVOKING ALL OF HIS SECURITY CLEARANCES RIGHT NOW AND HE WILL BE COMING HOME ON STEERAGE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CRAPPIEST BOAT I CAN FIND THAT WILL TAKE THE MOST UNFORTUNATE ROUTE ACROSS THE GLOBE, STOPPING AT ANY AND ALL PORTS.  From Ven’sMission to Invite.





	Below Decks

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Mission to Invite](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7525873) by [Venstar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Venstar/pseuds/Venstar). 



When Alec woke up, he was not in the hotel that Bond and him had been staying at before flying back to London. If he was honest, he wasn’t sure where he was. Wherever it was, it was loud. The sounds of pistons firing and engines chugging away made it nearly impossible for him to take stock of his whereabouts without revealing he was awake. He would have to risk it. Alec sat up and looked around.

It was dark. Well that was helpful. What light he could see was coming from fires roaring at the other end of the very large room. It illuminated heavy pipes and workers standing over the fire.

His eyes adjusted slightly and he noticed a dim lamp not far from him. Quietly, he rose to his feet and walked over. As he did, he realised something odd. He wasn’t wearing his own clothes. They felt coarse, and definitely not tailor made. In the light, he saw that he was wearing a grey, striped jumpsuit. And over his breast a note was pinned. He ripped it off and bent over to hold it under the light.

_Enjoy your time in steerage. Maybe you will learn how normal people do work for a living. Remember, I got you here without you knowing, if you think you can find your own way home, think again. -Q_

Damn him. What had he done to deserve this? He vaguely remembered Q saying, well yelling, something about steerage and unfortunate something-or-another, but he was too busy laughing to actually hear anything being said in his ear.

Alec raised his hand to his ear. No, the earpiece was gone. He patted himself down, but he didn’t seem to have any possessions on him. He checked his shoes, but they were not Q-branch issued. Maybe he could use the onboard radio to get a covert message to James.

But when he found the door and started up the stairs, a higher ranking member of the crew stopped him.

“What do you think you are doing?” he barked in a loud voice. “Wipers aren’t allowed on the higher decks. You live and work down here for the whole journey, do you understand?”

Alec could’ve easily taken him. He thought about it. But then what? He could feel the gentle sway of a large ship. He couldn’t swim to shore. He couldn’t disguise himself as a paying passenger without any prior knowledge. Could he try to be a stowaway? Sure. He had done it before. And when he had, he hid away in the lower decks, where he was now. At least if they thought he was part of the crew, he wouldn’t have to steal food. “Right,” he replied.

“I am your superior. I don’t know what you did to be hired out to us on such short notice, but on this ship, you will address everyone with proper respect.”

Alec sighed internally. R had warned him to not underestimate the connections that the quartermaster had. It was one of the first things she had said in his debriefing after his deep cover mission. “Sir, yes sir.” He had become complacent. He saw the relationship Q enjoyed with James. He thought he had a similar one.

Yet as he had been reminded, it paid to not piss off the quartermaster. Most of his threats were empty, but then he did things like this. Alec had no doubt that he would not be escaping this ship until they docked in London Gateway. Southampton if he was lucky. It was going to be a long journey back from Dubai.

 

It had been 53 days since Alec had contact with MI6. In that time he became friends with the others in the lowest deck of the ship and even managed to sneak upwards at night to gaze at the stars. He hadn’t forgotten so much of his Navy training that he was lost at sea. He knew they were close to Gibraltar when he was summoned above deck. He tried to squash the hope that threatened to bloom. The others down below patted him on the back in condolence, assuming the worst.

He was lead up into the Captain’s quarters. The captain was seated in his chair in front of a small monitor, talking with someone. “Ship’s still running along so I can’t complain, kid. You know there are always new hires in every port. But next time I’m in town, I want dinner.” The captain looked over at Alec then back at the screen. “He’s here. I’ll go meet the boat.” Then he walked out, telling Alec to kill the connection when he was done.

Alec sat in the chair and was surprised to see Q on the screen. “You’re needed, 006.” Straight to business then. No apologies. He hadn’t expected one.

“Of course,” he replied, sitting up taller. “What’s the mission?”

“You will have to be briefed in London. I wouldn’t call you back unless it was absolutely necessary. Michael Moore is on the boat that just met your own. He will bring you to the helicopter and escort you directly to headquarters.”

“Will I have time to stop home before setting out?”

“Yes. But don’t worry about shaving. The rough look may actually serve you well.” Q’s eyes darted to something else in the room that Alec couldn’t see. Whatever the other person said, Alec knew by the thinning of Q’s lips that it wasn’t good news. “I’ll be right there.” He turned back to Alec. “I need you on the top of your game, 006. Over and out.”


End file.
